


Heir of the Flowers

by Fullmusicbard



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dramedy, Episode: s01e49 Jailbreak, Failed escape, Gen, Homeworld Gems - Freeform, Homeworld Hierarchy (Steven Universe), Homeworld is Horrible, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied Blue Diamond/Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Implied Blue Pearl/Yellow Pearl - Freeform, Misgendering, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Episode: s01e49 Jailbreak, Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond, Self-Sacrifice, Starts whump but stops, Steven's ongoing identity crisis, like a band-aid, peridot calls jasper a clod, steven gets his gem ripped out, trippy dreams and stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28739091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fullmusicbard/pseuds/Fullmusicbard
Summary: Steven didn't think this day would end with giving himself up to Peridot and Jasper to save the rest of the gems, Beach City, and possibly the world, but it did.Now the only Crystal Gem onboard a green warship, Peridot begins to notice signs that he's not a gem, putting them to flukes. But then, she discovers something strange, something none of them expected, throwing Steven into a new world where none of his family can help him.Title may be changed later.
Relationships: Amethyst & Pearl (Steven Universe), Jasper & Lapis Lazuli & Peridot (Steven Universe), Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe), Steven Universe & Everyone
Comments: 51
Kudos: 58





	1. What is safe ain't the same as what is good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from "Rose" by The Oh-Hellos  
> I've never heard this song

[cover drawn by LadyScientist](archiveofourown.org/users/ladyscientist)

The hand ship’s tunnels are overwhelming, all identical green, but Steven knows he’s headed on the right path. But then, it strikes him like a thunderbolt, out of the blue. Little snippets seem to fly by, like someone keeps changing the channel on a TV, before Steven sees a round room where Garnet’s standing, tightening up in preparation for a fight. From another door comes Jasper, smirking, and the two begin to clash. For a while, Garnet fends her off, even beginning to sing something like, 

“This is Garnet. Back together. And I’m never going down at the hands of the likes of you, because I’m so much bett–” Jasper grabs her gauntlets right as they hit, and swings Garnet into the ground, her pupils contracting with a hot fury that makes Steven want to flee. 

“Better, huh? Some prissy noble and a common soldier, better and stronger than an ultimate gem? You’re just a pathetic weapon, and even worse, you’re on the losing side.” She attacks again and again, not even the slightest trace of mercy in her, and Garnet struggles to block even one of her hits. At last, Garnet kicks her in the face, sending Jasper flying into the wall, leaving her stunned for a few seconds. But then she looks up with an expression of sheer  _ glee  _ on her face, and laughs. 

“You know, you’re still pathetic, but… At least you’re putting up a good fight. This’ll be fun.” An expression of panic and horror crosses Garnet’s face, and she flees, Jasper chasing after her prey, and Steven realizes that she’ll  _ kill  _ Garnet. She’ll kill everyone. All of his friends, all of the gems, she would destroy them all in a heartbeat. 

“NO! I– Please! Stop!” Steven knows that she can’t hear him, that she wouldn’t care if she could, but, but Steven can’t do anything else. All Jasper wants is to kill the Crystal Gems and destroy– Rose. She thinks he’s Rose. If he makes it in time, Garnet will be safe! Everyone will be safe! The gems, Connie, Lapis, even Peridot!  _ Everyone but him. _

_ \----- _

Steven’s panicked footsteps echo down the green halls, praying that he’ll be able to reach Garnet in time. Her future vision is already fuzzing out, and Steven only has his instincts and the smoky view that remains. If he doesn’t make it, Garnet will die, and his friends will be next in line. There’s a door right in front of him, indistinguishable from every other one on the hand ship, but Steven knows for a fact it’s right. 

“Stop!" he cries, praying that Garnet’s okay. 

Jasper’s hands are around her throat, but Jasper pauses in shock and bewilderment, and Garnet manages to gasp, “Steven! W-What are you doing here? I told you to run! I can handle this!” 

Jasper looks at him and Garnet, back and forth, then snarls, “No, you can’t. That thing Rose is pretending to be won’t help either.” 

“Jasper! Please let her go! I-I’ll surrender!” Jasper lets go completely, staring at him dumbfounded. 

“What? Your defective followers were always in danger during the war, but you never did  _ this _ . You’re still a quartz! At least fight back!” 

“Steven, get out of here. Please. Go find Amethyst and Pearl!” 

“No, I’m going to save you guys! C’mon, Jasper. I’ll do whatever you need me to, I’ll even go to your planet with you and Peridot. Just, promise you guys won’t harm the gems.” 

“My planet?” Jasper looks confused, then shakes her head. “Fine, Rose. But if you do anything, this deal’s off. This miserable planet is going to be destroyed anyway.” 

“Wait, what?” Jasper pulls out a destabilizer, and stabs Garnet with it, with her gemstones being caught by Steven before they hit the floor. “Hey! What happened to not harming them?” 

“They’ll be fine. They’ll just reform. Don’t you know what poofing is?” Jasper turns and crouches, before picking Steven up by the back of his shirt. 

“AHH! Hey, put me down!” 

“Stop squirming, or I’ll use the destabilizer.” She smacks his head, and everything fades to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of a whump challenge by my friend/editor/professional JJBA hater/beta reader [LadyScientist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyScientist)
> 
> I hope you like it!


	2. Your body made for breaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we've got lots of breaking left to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title, once again, from "Rose" by The Oh-Hellos  
> I still haven't heard it

When Steven wakes up, there are thick shackles around his arms and legs, seemingly fit for a much bigger gem, then adjusted quickly. They chafe around his skin whenever he moves, and they’re so dark and glossy, they look almost as black as space itself. The electric barrier is there again, but Steven knows better than to try and escape. There’s no telling how close to Earth they are, and how long he’s been knocked out. Steven tries to stretch as much as he can, but then his head bursts with pain, and Steven realizes that on the floor around him, rusty patches are scattered. He’s hurt. And there’s no Pearl to help him, no Amethyst to tell jokes to make him laugh so hard the pain disappears, no Garnet to tell him stories, no Connie to practice training with him, and worst of all, his dad’s gone. Steven just wants to lie down and give up, but his head won’t let him close his eyes without pounding like a drum. But then, footsteps are heard. They’re too light to be Jasper’s, and they sound almost hollow, or metallic, meaning it must be Peridot! Sure enough, her peculiar limbs come into view, along with her triangular hair. She presses some panel, because the barrier disappears, and she walks in, looking very tired and annoyed. 

“Alright, I’m going to loosen your shackles, so we can work, and so that clod out there will stop ranting about how horrible Rose Quartz is. It’s tiresome.” 

Her finger things poke his head and stomach, and Steven can’t stop himself from wincing when she does it. 

“What’s this _stuff_ on your head? Is it some sort of liquid? Quartzes don’t secrete liquid, or,'' she checks his skin, “get new colors on their skin. You’re strange. Perhaps a chemical mixup when you were incubated.” 

“Incubated? Like in a kindergarten?” 

“Where else would you be incubated?” 

“Uh, I wasn’t made in a kindergarten.” Peridot nods, before staring at him. 

“WHAT? Every gem was made in a kindergarten! Even the perfect Diamonds!” 

“Well, I’m only half-gem. My mom was Rose Quartz, but when she gave birth to me with my dad, she gave it up so I could survive.” 

“What.” 

“So, she’s not around anymore.” 

Peridot stops poking and typing, and stands completely still, like someone just told her she wasn’t real. “Do you think I’m stupid? I’m a certified kindergarten worker, not some useless pearl!” 

“Pearl’s not useless! That’s really mean!” 

“Even a defective pearl is useless. Now I’m going to remove your shackles, and we’re going to destabilize you until we arrive at Homeworld.” 

She pulls out a pronged destabilizer, then methodically moves his shirt and stabs his stomach. Those yellow lines spring up, and they hurt so badly that Steven can barely stand, but he’s not poofed. _What would even happen if he was poofed? Could he?_ Peridot makes a noise of annoyance, and grabs him. 

“Hmm. This destabilizer isn’t working, probably acting up, but just to be sure, we’re going to remove it.” 

“Remove my gem? But–” 

“Oh please, it won’t hurt you, you’ll just reform. Unfortunately, I’m not very strong, so Jasper gets to do it.”

Peridot walks out, and Steven follows. The endless halls are empty, except for one barrier, holding Lapis, curled up and holding her knees. 

“Hey, how come you still have Lapis?” 

“Her? She may not be a Crystal Gem, but she’s still getting on Homeworld. If she’s lucky, she’ll get a good Zircon.”

“Oh.”

Finally, they arrive at the cockpit, if that’s the right word, where Jasper is pacing back and forth, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Peridot? Why isn’t Rose poofed right now?”

“Well, you big clod, the destabilizer was acting up, and you’re strong, so you get to remove her gem!”

“Really? Finally, a little luck.”

Peridot gestures to the floor, implying he’s to lie down, and Steven does, unable to hide his terror. _Am I going to die? What am I going to do? If only Connie was here, we’d escape somehow_ . Jasper stands above him, cracking her knuckles, with a joyful smile on her face, and she reaches for his gem. Her hands grasp it, and it’s slowly removed, and Steven doesn’t understand how it can hurt _so much_. It’s like his heart is being ripped out, like he’s dying, but it won't stop, and he’s bleeding what seems like an ocean of blood. 

As Steven becomes lightheaded while the world fades, the last thing he sees is Jasper horrified, a slow tear tracing her cheek as she holds his gem and Peridot inhaling with fear, “Oh stars, we’re cracked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally for a whump challenge by my friend/editor/beta reader [LadyScientist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyScientist)
> 
> I hope you like it!


	3. Crusades to adore her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Rose by The Oh-Hellos!  
> I could have used an more fitting song but gotta stick with the theme

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, and I promise I'll have another up by the end of the week!

A normal rose quartz gem is the same as any other quartz, only with a pentagonal facet. Jasper knows this, after all, she fought with many in the war, and she’s seen many poofed. This gem, this gem however, is not a rose quartz gem. It’s five-sided, multiple facets, a ring around it. Jasper knows this gem by heart. She dedicated her life to it, and would gladly die to save it from all harm. It’s the gem of her Diamond, Pink Diamond, a merciful and loving gem cut down by a cruel rebel leader. And she just pulled it out of Rose Quartz, and her cowardly disguise. Jasper knows she’s an ultimate quartz, knows she isn’t supposed to cry, knows she isn’t weak, but she breaks down weeping anyway, rivers flowing from her eyes, and splashing on the injured human with _her gem_ , who’s passed out on the floor, the gemstone of her lost diamond cradled in Jasper’s arms. 

“Peridot?” Jasper’s aware of her low rasp, aware of how she’s just shown weakness, but she doesn’t care. 

“Yeah, Jasper? Do you want me to put them back in the cell, and, uh, leave you alone?” 

“Fine. I doubt you’ll need the shackles, since… they’re just a normal human.” Peridot nods, then laughs hysterically. 

“Oh, oh my stars. What are we going to tell my Diamond?” 

“We’ll deal with it.” 

Peridot picks the human child who was once Pink up, walking out at a brisk pace. _My Diamond. I’ve served you faithfully, for all these centuries, so please. Why is this happening? A war happened! I don’t understand._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just, love Jasper okay? This is probably really out-of-character, but hey. It's her!


	4. Are you losing her true nature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics from Rose by The Oh-Hellos
> 
> Steven thinks he'll take a walk.

It’s a black void all around him, or perhaps it’s just an incredibly dark red. All Steven remembers is an agonized Jasper and a bewildered Peridot, and then nothing. He’s all alone, and as he looks down at himself, there’s a stain on his shirt; A gaping hole in his stomach where his gem would be; no wonder he feels hollow. By instinct, Steven begins walking north, and he continues for what seems like miles, all without tiring once. Soon a figure appears in the distance, and it seems white and pure as snow. But as Steven runs closer, he realizes it’s almost identical to Rose’s statue in her fountain, except for how it looks like it’s made of luminous pink crystal. A light seems to come from within it, scattering polygonal patterns of light over the void, dark as blood. The gem itself is darker than the rest of the statue, like how his was when compared to his mother’s in photographs. He’s not sure why, but Steven can tell it’s loose, and when he reaches for it, it falls into the void. It splashes, almost covered by the liquid, and when he picks it up, he realizes something.  _ This isn’t a quartz gem. When Amethyst poofed, it was symmetrical, this, this kinda looks like some sort of-  _

“Diamond. Why does this look like a diamond?”

As he says it, the statue that’s not quite his mother’s vibrates, and the void does with her, waves sweeping over him, almost speaking. 

In the crash and pound of the waves, Steven can faintly hear,  “Wake up. Get out of here.”

“What? Who, what’s going on?”

“GET OUT!"

When Steven opens his eyes, he’s back in the cell, but those shackles are nowhere to be seen, and the barrier seems a little lighter. Everything aches, and there are new rusty patches on the floor, but Steven doesn’t seem like he’s dying, bar his missing gem. Honestly, he just wants to sleep, and luckily, it’s dreamless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My, my, I wonder who this mysterious voice is?


	5. Call her briar long enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Rose, by The Oh-Hellos
> 
> Steven becomes very confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Steven's getting some pain today.

Steven wakes up in another room, a large atrium with three interconnected triangles on the ground. With a shock, he realizes this is where Jasper attacked Garnet, and that his wounds are covered by an odd material, almost gauze-like. But his gem is still gone, so he still feels weak and tired. Peridot stalks in, and stands, fidgeting nervously, which she hasn’t done before. 

She salutes in a strange diamond pattern, then bows, saying,  “Pink Diamond. My luminous Diamond, please forgive our rudeness and lack of acknowledgement toward your status. If you like, we would gladly harvest ourselves for our failure.”

“W-What? Peridot? Are you okay? You’re acting really weirdly…”

“My apologies, Pink Diamond. I will behave more satisfactorily.”

“Peridot, I don’t even know who Pink Diamond is! I’m not her!”

“What.”

Peridot looks briefly annoyed, before sighing and saluting again.

“Pink Diamond, I’m not sure why your gem was in a human. But it’s been glitching, and it seems to need to go back in. As for your identity, Jasper, that clod, is absolutely certain of it.”

“But-”

“Come on.”

Peridot waits for him to stand, then follows behind him, directing him through the ship. Lapis’s cell is in the hallway they pass, and she stares at him, confused, a hint of fear in her eyes. Steven’s been woozy ever since his unconscious dream, but now he collapses, his bruises hurting when he hits the smooth floor. Peridot screeches in alarm, looks around, and sighs. She picks him up in her strange arms, and walks to the cockpit, setting him on a chair. 

“I’m sorry for my rudeness, Pink Diamond, but I couldn’t have you collapsing.” Steven wants to thank Peridot, but his bruises feel like they’re growing, and all he can do is groan or bear it. He’s exhausted, all he wants is to give up, but he doesn’t think he can do that just yet. At least free Lapis and find out what’s going on. Jasper herself appears, cradling the gemstone from his dream (?) in her arms, as if it’s a precious child. It’s pink, perfectly faceted, with a few patches on it, rusty, like blood. His blood. That’s his gem. THAT’S HIS GEM.  _ Why does Jasper have- Oh that’s right. She, she pulled it out.  _ Steven’s still exhausted, but he’s pulled toward the gem, just like he was pulled in his dream.  _ I need my gem. If I don’t get my gem, I’m going to die.  _ But he’s too tired to move, and the gauze around his wounds has tightened and ripped, not helping his already intense pain.  _ I’m going to die, aren’t I? I’m sorry, everyone. _

\-----

Steven feels like he’s dying, and as he barely manages to sit on the chair, his gemstone starts to glow and levitate, casting them all in varying shades of pink. At first, the form is giant, at least 15 feet tall, with enormous puffy hair. Jasper’s eyes, peach in the light, widen, an expression of worshipful joy on her face. Peridot, tinted orangish-brown, looks as nearly confused as himself, her fingers absentmindedly twitching. It then shifts, shorter now, about the same height as Jasper, the gem rotating to its normal position, the hair falling in flowing ringlets, and the two gems tense up. Finally, it’s a clone of him, and Steven leaps to his gem. He’s hugging it nervously, and it glows like when he was dancing with Connie on the beach. Finally, he’s himself again, and  _ oh stars why does it hurt so much? _ His bruises hurt even more, somehow, and even though he doesn’t feel hollow and empty, he still feels sick. Jasper walks over to him, her height and bulk making Steven curl up in fear, until she kneels, a diamond-like symbol made by her hands. 

“My Diamond.”

“What?”

“My Diamond, forgive my rudeness, but why do you still look like a human?”

“Huh? No, I’m still a human. I don’t know why Mom’s gem looks so weird, but, I’m not my mom!”

“Mom? My Diamond, what are you talking about?” Peridot makes an odd, sharp noise, before beginning to speak. 

“Pardon me, Pink Diamond, but we are almost at Homeworld, and we hAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM! Pink Diamond has been presumed dead because of Rose Quartz for THOUSANDS OF YEARS, and then we go to some backwater planet, and find that criminal, in some organic. Fine. But then, when we try to destabilize you, and find Pink Diamond’s gem! This renders Era 2 useless! Countless gems haven’t been created because Homeworld doesn’t have your essence! What is my Diamond going to say?” Peridot’s face is panicked and annoyed, and she briefly pokes Steven’s gem in anger, before realizing her mistake and saluting, muttering apologies under her breath. Steven pulls himself up, the cockpit fit for much larger gems, and sees a sparkling grey planet, with purple/platinum/black cracks dividing it in half. It’s awful and eldritch, but he can’t look away. 

“This is Homeworld?” Steven silently wishes that his family was here, and Connie even more so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peridot's comment on gems at the end is my interpretation of the resource crisis; without Pink's essence, any pink/purple/orange gems won't be easy to make, so Homeworld wouldn't be able to replace them.  
> I hope you enjoyed!


	6. It won't buy you that empty tomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moon may be high  
> But I can't see   
> A thing, in the sky  
> I only have eyes for you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Rose by The Oh-Hellos  
> Chapter summary from I Only Have Eyes for You, by The Flamingos  
> Pearl almost becomes Millions Knives for a second, so watch out Trigun fans!

Pearl sits under a full moon, its light reflecting off the plump, ripe strawberries, drunken moths fluttering around the light cast from her gem. Her sweet, innocent, little Steven had been taken  _ there _ almost a week ago, that hellish place, and she wasn’t there to- What? Explain?  _ Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond all along! I helped her fake her death, and I loved her, and she didn’t love me!  _

“Stars, I’m such a fool.”  Her gem summons a hologram, blooming into Rose, still as beautiful as the day she died. She speaks! The same recitation, and Pearl talks along with it, the same as it was millenia ago, but then, she can’t hold back any longer. 

Pearl weeps, tears staining her cheeks,  “I-I couldn’t save him, Rose. I should have looked for Garnet myself, and made him stay. W-we could have become Sardonyx; defeated Jasper, and brought the ship down, but I didn’t, and now he’s gone! He’s just  _ like you! _ He never wants to see people sad, he’ll do anything, but he’s so  _ reckless!  _ And now he’s trapped on Homeworld, and I can’t save him! Oh, Rose, what should I do?” 

The hologram whispers,  “My Pearl.” 

The recording had finished, now looping, over and over.  “I wish you could see him, Rose.”  Pearl felt like she had been scraped away, her layers of nacre and memories gone, as fresh and new as the day she was created. Pearl never liked thinking about her past, but,  _ She could have said something to him. I could have warned Steven, told him that Homeworld is dangerous and wrong, that you can’t make friends there, I could have begged for one last moment with him, I could have poofed that cocky Peridot and punched that horrible Jasper until her gem cracked and gotten Steven back! They’ll hurt him, they’ll find out Rose was Pink Diamond, they’ll, they’ll-  _ Pearl froze, her fist clenching on impulse, the wing of an unfortunate moth crushed to powder in an instant. 

_ Would Rose come back?  _

Pearl loved Steven, of course she did, but she had never thought about the logistics of his gem since he was born. She knew Steven wasn’t Rose, that was abundantly clear, but… 

“If Rose came back, S-Steven would be okay! It wouldn’t be wrong! No, no, what am I saying? It would be wrong! Wrong, a-and cruel, and Steven would be hurt! Oh stars, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to him.” 

Pearl curled up among the strawberry vines, the full moon reaching its highest point in the sky, illuminating all in milky light.  _ I hope Steven’s okay. _ The moths fluttered around Pearl’s gem, the one with the crushed wing crawling on her hand, and Pearl let herself weep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys, I didn't forget the Crystal Gems existed.


	7. I think we got a lot we gotta learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven discovers a lot of new things, and goes to meet someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Rose, by The Oh-Hellos

The ship they’re in seems to dive toward the western part of the planet, right above one of the faults, and as it dives, Steven notices the white turn to sunlight yellow, then suddenly-

They land in a city of gold and dark lead, geometric buildings towering, a sea of unknown gems in shades of yellow and green from Steven’s limited view from the cockpit. Peridot gently lifts him off, saluting once more, and they walk through the hand ship. Lapis is still in her cell, but Steven can’t just leave her! He’s not sure what’s going on, or who Pink Diamond is, but Jasper and Peridot seem to respect her, so maybe they’ll listen. Jasper’s still scary, and she removed his gem, so he’ll try Peridot instead. 

“Um, Peridot?” Steven tries to use the most commanding voice he can muster. “Lapis isn’t a Crystal Gem, so she hasn’t done anything wrong…. Maybe she can come with us?” Peridot nervously glances, fingers twitching, before sighing. 

“Very well, Pink Diamond. I suppose she can be let out for our meeting with My Diamond, so long as she doesn’t interfere.” Peridot types, freeing Lapis, and Jasper grabs her arm, but less hard than she did on Earth, while Peridot’s fingers move absentmindedly. _Peridot does that a lot,_ Steven thinks, and he barely represses a giggle. The strange entourage walks on, Peridot whispering directions to a large saffron warp pad in his ear, and she activates it, the lemon warping light hurting Steven’s tired eyes, worsening his woozy headache. Lapis’s cold hand brushes up against his for a second, before pulling back.

When the warping finishes, Steven can barely walk due to dizziness, the monochrome yellow of Homeworld hurting his eyes. An enormous inverted pyramid stands in front of them, Homeworld’s pink sky making it resemble a setting sun. Peridot beams with a nervous joy, saluting to him again, her fingers occasionally moving out of the formation. 

“This, as Pink Diamond _surely_ knows, is the main fortress of the opulent and decorated Yellow Diamond, the site of court proceedings and colony decisions! A mere Era Two peridot like me could only dream of working here, but that’s not important! Pink Diamond, your resurrection is excellent for Homeworld’s wellbeing, and My Diamond will be overjoyed to hear of your return!” Peridot finishes her oddly Pearl-like lecture, and as she struts over to a large gem with a blocky haircut, gesturing and explaining, and Steven realizes he has no idea what’s happening on Earth. _I-I don’t even know if Pearl and everyone are okay! I’ve been so caught up here, that, that I never even thought about it! Oh stars, I’ve really messed up!_ Steven can feel tears brimming at the corners of his eyes, though he tries to stop them, when suddenly, he feels someone watching him. It’s Lapis, a small hint of fear in her eyes and a sad smile on her face. She moves her free hand a little, and the blooming tears disappear from Steven’s eyes, splashing on the ground. Jasper turns at this, Lapis’s smile turning to a grimace, but then Jasper smiles faintly, turning once more. 

Peridot runs back to the group, her limbs clanking on the marble-like ground, a smug grin on her face. “We have an appointment with her luminous Yellow Diamond! This is wonderful! Pink Diamond will learn what has happened since Era 2 began, the Cluster is on schedule, and we’ll get back to our purposes!” Steven doesn’t know what any of this means, but he’s starting to be more scared, his whole body aches, and he feels like he’s going to be sick. He sits on top of one of the strange geometric sculptures adorning the pyramid’s side, the three gems following him like shadows. 

There doesn’t seem to be Earth time on Homeworld, but the sky fades to a peachier pink, and Steven doesn’t know how much longer he can stay awake, when the doors suddenly open, revealing- _Pearl?_ On second glance, it’s not Pearl, but putting aside the chest gem, hairstyle, yellow colors, and _bizarre_ clothes, she’s almost identical. She stares at the group, face sour and disgusted, before squinting at him. 

“Hmm. Some peridot and lapis, that famous _perfect Jasper,_ and- Pink Diamond???” 

The gem’s tone shifts from annoyed to impressed to confused in an instant, sounding the way vinegar tastes. Pearl’s apparent secret twin does the same salute as Peridot, bowing, before gesturing to the door. “Pink Diamond, Yellow Diamond will meet you now.” 

Steven knows Homeworld is different, but he can’t stand it anymore. 

“Uh, can you just call me Steven? I don’t even know who Pink Diamond is, so I don’t want to be called that. Is that okay?” Pearl’s twin, _I should give her a nickname,_ stares at him. And blinks. 

“Very well, Pink Steven Diamond.” 

“No, no, just Steven.” 

“Erm, Pink Just Steven?” 

“Pearl never acted like this…” 

“If you’ll pardon the statement, Pink Diamond, you must have just had a defective pearl.” Pearl’s twin sashays back inside, and Steven reluctantly follows, not wanting to be alone in the pyramid with Pearl’s smug twin and whoever Yellow Diamond is. _If that’s what Pearl’s twin is like,_ thought Steven, _no wonder Pearl never mentioned her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was more comedic and stuff, it's a running thing that Peridot twitches her fingers, and I cannot write Lapis to save my life-
> 
> Steven probably knows there are multiples of gems, but not how they look, so Yellow Pearl is Pearl's evil, skanky, and kinda gay twin
> 
> That was a Buffy reference


	8. What's true is like a sickle, it'll cut you to the middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Amethyst fight, and Sapphire Sees a prophecy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Rose by The Oh-Hellos

After a few days, Pearl’s finally come back from wherever the hell she went. Ruby and Sapphire welcome her back with open arms and a lot of crying, and as much as Amethyst wants to do the same, she can’t. _Stuck up jerk! We all miss Steven, some of us just don’t mope about it!_ Amethyst mumbles her hellos to Pearl, then storms off to her room in the temple, hoping to find something to punch. 

Amethyst, having destroyed several of those crystals and kicked the wall a bit, is less mad at Pearl, and more curious, and secretly worried, about Steven. Unlike the others, Amethyst doesn’t know anything about Homeworld, besides that they were cruel and tried to colonize Earth. Rose never liked to talk about it, Garnet doesn’t either, and Pearl just gives her flowery-ass speeches. All she’s seen is that nerd Peridot, sad-sack Lapis, and- _Jasper,_ the buff soldier who seems to ooze menace in all her actions. And as much as Amethyst hates it, that brief insult she slipped out while marching past Amethyst’s cell was kinda right.

_What’s the use of being a quartz, if I can’t even protect my family?_

“No way! I’m not letting that orange jerk get in my head!” Amethyst kicks the wall again.

Ruby walks in, confident as always, conspicuously absent from Sapphire’s side. 

“Hey, Amethyst. Sapphy’s gotten Pearl to calm down now, so how about we talk it out together? About Steven, I mean.” 

“.....Fine. So long as she isn’t planning to cry in Norway _again._ ” 

“She’s not, don’t worry. Probably.” With that, the two walk out to the main room, and it dawns on Amethyst that she never _sees_ Ruby. Obviously she’s _there,_ she’s part of Garnet after all, but Amethyst has never interacted with Ruby alone. It’s an odd feeling. 

In the Burning Room, Pearl sits by Sapphire, an untouched teacup in her ivory hands. She’s still sniffling, but relatively calm.

She looks up, “Amethyst.” 

“Pearl.” 

Ruby elbows Amethyst in the chest, _wow, that hurt,_ and Amethyst clears her throat. 

“Um, I’m sorry I didn’t say hi to you.” 

“It’s perfectly fine.” Amethyst hates to ask, hates whatever she’s going to hear, but she has to. 

“What are they going to do to him? On Homeworld?” Pearl fidgets, gesturing to Sapphire’s bangs, and shrugs. 

“It all depends. They might have a trial with some zircons, they might just hurt him, or treat him like Rose, but destabilizers don’t work on him, and we don’t know if he can be poofed-” 

“Or shattered? We don’t know, do we? Nope! He might die! We don’t know how his gem works! Rose might even come back! Stars, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? That’s probably what you were thinking about on those stupid fjords!” 

“AMETHYST! How dare you! I would never hurt Steven! I love him, and the Earth just as much as you!” 

“Then why don’t you show it? You tried to rip his gem out the instant you saw him after he was born! We loved Rose just as much as you, maybe not in the same way, but still!” At that, Pearl stands up, an expression of rage on her face, tears welling up at her eyes, when Sapphire speaks. 

The air freezes into the negatives, and she whispers, voice quivering in fear. 

“H-He’s talking to Yellow Diamond. She’s contemplating throwing him into a tower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some trouble writing all of the Crystal Gems, since they haven't gotten much character development, so any critiques or tips would be appreciated!


	9. Your dowry isn't fooling, the pyrite is showing through

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Rose by The Oh-Hellos, as always. Drink every time I use a word to describe the color yellow.

Pearl’s yellow twin proceeds to walk through the dandelion pyramid door, where inside, the walls are covered with contorting, geometric statues that seem to whisper as they pass. Steven has the uncomfortable feeling that the eyes are following him, as if he’s being observed in a clinical experiment. It’s not very fun, and the overwhelming yellow makes his head feel like it’s being split open by a jagged, very gold knife. The room seems to spin, and Steven can feel his legs growing weak, his gem’s pulsating rhythm quickening, and his heart tries to match the beat. Steven stumbles as he tries to match the stride of the long-legged gem in front of him, and before he knows what’s happening, he’s down on the floor, and he doesn’t know how to get up again. 

“Pink Diamond?” A nasally voice, almost concerned, wakes Steven from his blacked-out state. 

“P-Pearl? Are you here?” The words are sawdust in his mouth, the shirt area around his gem dried and red, his heartbeat normal, and no longer terrified. 

“Well, yes. It’s wonderful that you retain the ability to identify gem types, Pink Diamond. For formalities, I am Yellow Pearl, belonging to the fearsome and brilliant Yellow Diamond. I see you’ve maintained your, eh,” Yellow’s face twists up, as if she had bitten into something sour, “... _unique_ sense of humours, but My Diamond will undoubtedly expect seriousness, so let us continue on, my shining Pink Diamond.” Steven doesn’t think he can continue on, especially with Yellow Pearl simultaneously fawning and sniping at him. 

“Yellow Pearl? I can’t walk. I don’t know who Pink Diamond is, and I-I’m just a normal kid, and I d-don’t wanna be here, and I just wanna go home, and Jasper r-ripped out my gem, and I- I-” Yellow Pearl simply blinks, and opens her mouth to speak, and Steven realizes that the gems here are _insane._

_She doesn’t care. Yellow Pearl doesn’t know what I’m talking about, and she doesn’t care._

Steven can’t help it anymore, doesn’t care what happens, he cries. His tears are pooling over on the lemon floor, his sobs are filling the dry air, and Yellow Pearl is panicking, looking around, and lifting Steven to his feet, shushing him. 

“Pink Diamond, I know that as a pearl, I am miles below your station, but I feel I must do this. _Please,_ stop making a scene, in _Yellow Diamond’s fortress!_ I cannot comprehend your motives, given that you are a Diamond and I am a mere pearl, but Yellow Diamond will be very upset if you continue doing this!” Yellow’s cold hands are over his mouth, preventing his sobs from echoing any further, and she frantically wipes away the tears. 

She supports Steven and practices walking with him for a little bit, and then they continue on to an intricately-carved olive-yellow door. Steven’s gem, a warm second pulse ever since it returned to him, goes cold and still, with tension or fear. Yellow Pearl gestures to the door, implying Steven must go first, and Steven braces himself. As he opens the doors, he briefly thinks about Yellow Pearl. _She may be really different from Pearl, but she’s not a bad person. A little mean, okay, a lot mean, but she’s kinda nice! Maybe I do have a friend here._

\---------

Yellow Diamond was colossal. 

Her clothing was formal, geometrically cut to near perfection, brassy and olive all the way through. Steven couldn’t tell if she had unusual hair like many of the gems here, or a military-style helmet. A gargantuan gold gemstone graced her chest, faceted into a table cut. Her gloved hands closed the transparent screen she had been typing on. Her yellow eyes turned to Steven’s small form, black diamond pupils contracting in suspicion and annoyance. 

“So, this is Pink’s new form, if that jasper and peridot have reported correctly.” 

Her voice was low and tired, and she sighed in definite exasperation, oddly mother-like. 

“We thought you were shattered! Blue has been mourning _unhelpfully_ for millenia! You haven’t even reformed properly, you don’t even look like a gem, you’re wearing the symbol of that abhorrent old rebellion, where in the cosmos have you been for 6000 years? Stars, why are you such a pain? After the others have met with you, you are most certainly going in the tower.” 

Steven stammers out a reply, very confused about shattering and the mentioned Blue. “U-Um, miss Yellow Diamond? I think there’s been a mistake. I don’t know anything about Pink Diamond, and no one here will tell me anything, and I’m only a gem on my mom’s side, a-and I just wanna go home!” Steven wants to cry, but stuffs the tears down. _Yellow Pearl was scared when I started crying, I’m gonna listen to her advice, even if it doesn’t make sense._ Yellow Diamond lifts him up, Steven fitting in the palm of her hand, and lets electricity crackle around her other hand. She reaches to Steven, and-

It’s like the destabilizers, but a thousand times worse. 

Steven can _feel_ the electricity roaming his veins, and sees a hypnotic pattern of lines erupt on his skin. The lines center around his gem, which begins to shift from the electricity; the pain is gone now, and Steven feels like he’s bodiless, solely a gem; his gem is warm and comforting, yet alien to him; his surroundings seem to change to rounder shapes, orange instead of yellow in Steven’s eyes; Yellow Diamond seems to find what she’s looking for, and removes the electricity. Steven returns to his normal state, human, and immediately coils up. Yellow’s eyes widen in shock at what her powers have found, thankfully setting Steven down, and Steven vomits uncontrollably. When Steven finishes and looks up again, he sees a small _smile_ on Yellow Diamond’s lips, and she looks toward him more fondly, though her look changes to a deadpan stare upon seeing his vomit. 

“It’s no matter, Pink. I was planning on throwing you in your tower when I first got the news. After all, it’s been thousands of years, and this could have been some accident or mistake by that Era Two peridot. But I’ve checked your aura, and you are certainly our dear Pink. You seem to be more disoriented than a recently emerged gem, but we’ll fix you. Pearl will clean up your newest prank.” 

“Yellow Pearl? But, that’s not fair to her! It’s my fault, I should-”

Yellow Diamond’s eyes tighten in rage, before calming slightly. 

“Pink. She is a pearl, pearls are meant for this menial labor. You are a Diamond, fit for ruling over gemkind. Just let Pearl fulfill her purpose, and stop being such a ridiculous gem.” Yellow summons her screen again, clicking a cerulean button, and faintly smiles at it. She gently says, “Blue will be overjoyed to hear of your return.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If you have any criticism or advice, I'd love to hear it!


	10. The light of your afterword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Pearl pouts, Connie visits the Crystal Gems, and Sapphire Sees something she can't understand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Rose by The Oh-Hellos

Yellow Pearl had been dutifully waiting outside her Diamond’s chambers, ready and willing to serve! After several cycles in which she tried her best not to fidget, Yellow Pearl realized that the verification of Pink Diamond’s return would probably take a long time, and Pearl opened up the holograms from her gem, specifically, her photographs, most of which happened to be of gems getting poofed, her fearsome Diamond conducting work, and absolutely nothing containing her counterpart from Blue Diamond’s court. At that instant, a loud buzz came from her screen, signalling a task from her beloved Diamond! 

It was to fetch Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG and that perfect Jasper, as well as clean up Pink’s newest liquidy prank when Pearl returned to her Diamond’s chambers.

The heretical part of Pearl, which she REFUSED to listen to, had a small thought on these matters. 

_ Couldn’t she have waited just a bit longer before pulling a prank? _

But, criticising a diamond is far above Pearl’s status, and besides, Yellow Pearl lives to serve. The message received, Pearl begins to strut towards the doorway, translucent shoulderpads fluffed up imposingly, ready to summon those other gems, call a topaz guard for that rebellious lapis, and clean up after Pink Diamond. 

\--------

A girl in a pale mint dress runs up to the Crystal Temple, navigating the twisted stairs with ease. As she reaches the door, she slows, then firmly knocking. The girl, whose name is Connie Maheswaran, is nervous, almost scared of the gems after she’s witnessed the emerald hand tainting Beach City’s sky. She didn’t see the conflict, the aftermath, so all she knows is that the gems refuse to speak to anyone, even Mr. Universe, and that Steven is  **gone.** It doesn’t make sense, somehow. It doesn’t make sense that Steven, who loves a show about crying food and tries to befriend every sentient being except Kevin, would be gone, lost in space. Amethyst answers the door, lavender hair matted and even messier than usual, not in her usual rebel manner. 

“Wha- Connie? What are you doing here?”  Amethyst’s eyes widen in surprise, and she tightly hugs Connie.

“Hey Amethyst, I’m glad to see you. Um, are the others inside? There’s something I wanna ask all of you.”  Amethyst lets go, and her expression is a mix of anger and sadness, bitter and hard.

“You want to know about Steven, huh? We don’t really know. Sapphire hasn’t been able to see too much, apparently looking at Homeworld scares her really badly. And their explanations are really fu-, er, hecking vague, so I barely know what they’re talking about. But sure, you can come in.” 

Connie and Amethyst walk into the main room, where Pearl seems to be taking notes, or reviewing information, black old-fashioned pen darting in her hands. On the couch, there are two gems Connie has never seen, both very small, a little smaller than Steven.

One is dark blue with long pale hair, gloved hands resting on their midnight dress. Through their bangs, Connie can faintly see  _ one eye, _ cerulean in color, staring up. Next to them is a scarlet gem, hair square-like and held in place by a maroon headband. Her right hand is over the blue gem’s left, and Connie can see a square-cut gem on her left palm. Pearl perks up, and lets out a quiet gasp. 

“Connie! Hello there. You’ll have to be hushed, I’m afraid. Sapphire’s Seeing what’s happening to Steven,” Pearl whispers. A faint, sad smile appears on her face, when the blue gem, probably Sapphire, collapses from what seems to be exhaustion. 

“Ah! Sapphire, are you okay?”  The red gem pulls Sapphire up, worry plain on their face.

“I’m alright, Ruby. Oh, hello Connie. Here to ask about Steven? You came at a good time. We’re sorry that we haven’t contacted you before, and we would have told Greg when he came 6 days ago, but, Pearl got a little upset.”  Sapphire’s soothing voice turns cold at the end there, before it lightens again.  “He doesn’t seem to be in a tower, but I caught a glimpse of Yellow Diamond herself. All of Homeworld is dangerous, especially to Steven, but, there’s something odd about my vision. Yellow Diamond is essentially a general, incredibly ruthless, and she should be terrible to Steven, since he has Rose’s gem. But she’s not. She’s talking as if they’re equals, and,”  Sapphire’s expression darkens, as if she’s remembering something tragic and awful,  “she’s referring to him as Pink Diamond.” Ruby and Amethyst look shocked, and then-

A heavy choke. 

Connie turns in shock, having never heard a noise like that out of Pearl, and sees Pearl’s moon-colored hands around her mouth, Pearl’s whole body contorted into a tight ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there was such a long wait for this one guys
> 
> If you're interested in my lame art and rambling nonsense, check out
> 
> [fullmusicbard.tumblr.com](http://fullmusicbard.tumblr.com)
> 
> This fic has a cover now, it's in the first chapter, drawn by my beta reader/friend [Lore](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyscientist)
> 
> I could use some advice and critiques for this one honestly
> 
> Also this takes place when Steven is talking to Yellow Pearl, not Yellow Diamond, so that's why it's future vision


	11. Your rose is without a thorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven takes a nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Rose by The Oh-Hellos, as always

Steven can’t tell time on Homeworld, but he thinks it’s been about half an hour since he stepped into Yellow Diamond’s palace. Steven hasn’t slept since Peridot woke him up when they arrived at Homeworld, and he doesn’t know how much more time he can spend awake. Yellow Diamond’s work has become a comforting background noise, and Steven decides to focus on his gem. It doesn’t pulse abnormally anymore, it’s just like how it was on Earth, and it seems to be connected again. Steven thinks his main problem is a lack of sleep and food, two things he doesn’t know how to solve. His stomach begins to growl, and Steven’s so focused on it he only just now realizes that Yellow has begun speaking again.

“-- Obviously you cannot simply be reinstated to your palace, as we’ll have to re-organize your court and announce your return formally, at a ball. I suppose the tower will work well enough for these purposes, and I suppose your Jasper will do as a guard. The Peridot still needs to fill in their report on The Cluster, but Pink, you can borrow her after then.”

“A tower? Balls? And, what’s The Cluster?”  Steven didn’t know why, but the word made a chill run down his spine. Yellow looked surprised, then rubbed her forehead.

“Ah! Of course you wouldn’t know of The Cluster, it was created as a reaction to your death. It was  _ originally _ intended to destroy any traces of the Rebellion after our song, and Earth, which is still unusable as a colony due to the passage of time.”  Yellow’s expression suddenly softened.  “As for the ball, I know you loved throwing them, but you simply  **cannot** throw it now.”

Steven still had no idea what Yellow had been talking about, with colonies, songs, and a possible weapon being casually referred to, but now he had really been thrown a loop. 

“Pink Diamond was a juggler?”

Yellow Diamond burst into brassy laughter, before firmly saying,  “No. Diamond’s are not meant to entertain. Don’t be so silly, Pink. Now come, we’re going to the tower.” 

“What tower?”

“You  _ know _ about the tower, Pink. Now come.” The geometric walls seem to unravel in a diamond pattern, revealing a saffron room at Yellow Diamond’s clap. She marches inside, and Steven struggles to match her colossal pace. When he arrives inside, the walls shimmer, and Steven can see a lemonade-glass warp pad, far larger than any he’s ever seen. Yellow is already there, and if she wasn’t so large, Steven is sure she’d be tapping her foot in impatience. Steven clambers onto the warp pad, the surface showing a peachier reflection, which disappears in the buttercup warping stream. 

The warping process takes longer than it does on Earth, and the two land in front of a conical, spiraling tower with a spiking top, and Steven realizes with a shock that it’s  _ gray. _ He’s barely seen anything of Homeworld, but for some reason, the gray seems unnatural here, a withered flower compared to the bright pastel buildings around it. Yellow’s gloved hand curls around him, stalking inside the charcoal tower, and she places Steven in a large room at the top, 6 windows the only glimpse he has of Homeworld’s pink sky.

“Behave. Blue’s busy with a colony currently, a very resourceful planet, but when progress has progressed enough that the agates can handle it, she’ll no doubt ask to see you.”  At that, Yellow turns on their heels, and the door, which Steven hadn’t even noticed due to it being indistinguishable from the walls, slid behind her. 

Steven was now alone in a tower with windows he couldn’t even see out of, just as hungry and tired as before, and he walks to one of the slivers of light. It’s only a bit warmer than the rest of the stone floor, but that’s good enough for him. He lies down in the light, curling up like a cat in a sunbeam, not caring what happens here, and lets his heavy eyes fall.  _ Maybe I’ll dream about everybody back home, or just the gems, or Connie… Heck, I wouldn’t even mind having Kevin in a dream! _

And with that, the trapped human-gem hybrid goes to sleep.

There are fuchsia vines all around him. They’re thick, curled in brambles, and the spines glimmer lilac in the dark. Steven carefully pushes a few out of his way, though one of the thorns almost scratches his arm. Now free from the knot, he can see that more of the vines form the borders of a path. Steven decides to walk along it, and as he does, the ground beneath his feet transforms from plain ground to squishy dirt, a thing Steven never thought he would miss. It’s hard to see in the dark, but the fuchsia seems to turn to shades of purple, dark and rich at first, then lighter, the thorns shrinking and becoming crystalline. Finally, the vines are lavender and geode-textured, the plum thorns refracting light, and they reach their end around a familiar figure, one that Steven hasn’t seen in what feels like forever.

“Amethyst!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas on what happens next or tips are welcome, I hope you enjoyed reading!


End file.
